WILLEMSTAD - Epidemiologist Iralice Jansen has indicated that she wishes to withdraw from the vaccination process in Curaçao. Reliable sources report this. Jansen was involved in the vaccination process against Covid-19 from the start. The reason for Jansen's departure is unknown.
Vaccination was started on the island in March 2021. After a cautious run-up period, thousands of people a day were vaccinated at the peak. By mid-May, half of the population had received at least one injection.
Jansen was initially the face of the vaccination course and was later assisted by Jerry Semper, general practitioner and the medical coordinator of the vaccination course.
To date, 103,752 people have had their first injection. 96,373 people of the 160,000 inhabitants are fully vaccinated. The aim is to vaccinate at least 106,000 people, about 85 percent of the adult population.
The government has meanwhile started giving a booster shot. Initially, people over 60 will receive this third shot, but today it was announced that in the long term people older than 18 will also receive a booster shot.
Now that Jansen is withdrawing from the vaccination course, she will also play no role in the booster shots. The director of the Red Cross Blood Bank Curaçao Foundation, Ashley Duits, would take over the task from Jansen. Jansen would then fall under him. Duits himself did not want to comment on this.
Health Minister Dorothy Pitersz-Janga could not be reached for comment.